An electrocardiograph (ECG) system monitors heart electrical activity in a patient. Conventional ECG systems utilize electrodes or sensors placed on a patient in specific locations to detect electrical impulses generated by the heart during each beat. Typically, these electrical impulses or signals are detected by and directly transferred from the sensors or electrodes to a stationary ECG monitor via multiple cables or wires. The ECG monitor performs various signal processing and computational operations to convert the raw electrical signals into meaningful information that can be displayed on a monitor or printed out for review by a physician.
Doctors have used ECG systems to monitor heart activity for decades. Currently, there are several different systems that use ECG signals to monitor heart activity. These systems, however, are generally stationary and are not developed or suitable for portable use. While portable telemetry systems exist, they are not a direct replacement for stationary ECG monitors. Moreover, because conventional systems use multiple cables or wires, and are cumbersome and uncomfortable for the patient, and require a significant amount of set up time. Thus, a need exists for a wireless ECG system that solves the aforementioned problems. The present invention fills this need.
Furthermore, in both traditional wired systems and wireless systems, portions of the conventional electrodes or sensors that connect to the cables, wires, or chest assemblies are not standardized. In other words, the metal snap pieces or metal tabs that connect to the female portions of the cables, wires, or chest assemblies come in various sizes, shapes and configurations. Accordingly, many of the conventional electrodes or sensors are not compatible for use with many of the wires, leads, or chest assemblies used in physiological data collections systems.
To solve this problem, many conventional wired systems utilize spring loaded, female snap pieces, which are compatible with many different electrodes or sensors having male snap pieces or metal tabs. Those spring loaded, female snap pieces, however, are substantially more expensive than other conventional female snap pieces. Nevertheless, because the increased cost of the spring loaded, female snap pieces can be amortized over the life of the cable or lead set, the increased costs of those snap pieces are not a major consideration for conventional wired systems.
However, the increased costs of those female snap pieces cannot be amortized over the life of a chest assembly used in a typical wireless or telemetry system since the chest assemblies used in such systems are generally discarded after each patient use. Accordingly, the increased cost of those spring loaded, female snap pieces make them unsuitable for use with chest assemblies used in a wireless or telemetry system.
To avoid the incompatibility problems with conventional electrodes or sensors and the increased cost associated with spring loaded, female snap pieces, some wireless or telemetry systems use chest assemblies having integrated electrodes or sensors. A major disadvantage to such chest assemblies, however, is that those chest assemblies must be hermetically packaged to preserve the integrity of the aqueous silver chloride gel on the electrodes integrally connected to those chest assemblies. As a result, the cost of such chest assemblies is significant. Because those chest assemblies are designed to be disposed of after each patient use, the increased cost of those chest assemblies make them cost inefficient.
In addition, the spring loaded, female snap pieces and the metal snaps typically used with conventional electrodes or sensors are typically constructed of metal and are not radiolucent. Consequently, those snap pieces and metal snaps show up clearly on x-rays and other imaging procedures. Transparency to hospital imaging systems such as x-ray or fluoroscopes is desirable in many medical procedures such as are carried out in cardiac catheterization labs where conventional electrocardiograph electrodes and wires may obscure the view of internal blood vessels. Radiolucent electrodes are known in the art and are sold by companies such as Kendle and 3M. Non-disposable radiolucent electrode leads exist but cost in excess of a thousand dollars per radiolucent lead set.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a fastener assembly that is capable of connecting a disposable chest assembly to any conventional electrode or sensor, cost efficient, radiolucent and easy to use. The present invention fills this need.